"In taste... girls are much better than boys"

We all know that our taste buds can recognize the four basic kinds of tastes, sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. The salty and sweet taste buds are located near the front of our tongues. Sour taste buds are on the side as the bitter taste bugs are in the very back. In the articles I’ve been reading I’ve found that as we grow old and even when we are pregnant that our taste buds change. Personally, I think all of this is very interesting.

As for our homework assignment, I’ve tried to find connections between our parent’s genetics and our own sense of taste. However, I wasn’t able to find how any connections. Now maybe I wasn’t looking in the right place. BUT… I did find how girls have a superior sense of taste compared to boys. Now let me enlighten you on a research that was conducted.

The Danish Science Communication and The faculty of Life Sciences did a study at the University of Copenhagen on 8,900 Danish children. Each child was given a taster sample kit with instructions. The scientist themselves wanted to see how children would react to sweet and sour tastes. Also, eating habits and fussiness over food were written down. Bodil Allesen-Holm, MSc in Food Science and Technology, stated that children are very good tasters. They also said that as a child gets older there tastes change.

It was concluded that girls are better at recognizing both sweet and sour tastes than boys. While the test was being conducted they counted the taste buds of both girls and boys. They found that both girls and boys had the same number of taste buds and it has to be the process of taste. On what girls and boys liked they discovered boys preferred wild flavors as the girls picked the muted flavors. This only concluded that boys have a sweeter tooth than girls. It was also pointed out that children to like the sour taste is less fussy over foods than ones who do not.

When it came down to likes and dislikes it was discovered that 70 % of pupils liked fish. While 59 % of boys and girls pupils showed that they were actually NOT fussy eaters. It appears with this understanding of boys vs. girls taste buds, they can now develop food that attracts both genders.

- Cassie Hubbard
Class Blog